The primary products of the Yankee whale fishery were sperm oil, spermaceti, whale oil and whalebone and occasionally ambergris if any were discovered. That whales had to die to provide these things is a fact of seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century life.“ Oil was needed for light and lubrication baleen was needed for skirt hoops and corset stays. it is only through the lens of hindsight that the whaleman’s job becomes malicious or cruel. In Men and Whales, Richard Ellis writes that, until the beginning of the twentieth-century, whaling was considered an admirable occupation. Original verse from the journal of Henry Smith kept aboard the bark Marcella of New Bedford, 1840-1841, Benjamin Ellis, master. “Success to the old Marcella may she speedily return to her original haven abundantly laden with the riches of the ocean.” The answers to why so many people went whaling are many and varied but the underlying principle is that whale products had a strong commercial value if one knew how to exploit it. Few individuals got rich whaling and most of those were owners and agents. In the Yankee whale fishery injuries and death were common to almost every voyage. Whaling was an exceptionally dangerous business both physically and economically. You are contributing to debate and discussion, and helping to make this website a more open place.Why Hunted? “Abundantly laden with the riches of the ocean”: Why whales were hunted Thank you for following these guidelines and contributing your thoughts. We will not publish comments that link to outside websites.If you're using an alias, make sure it's unique.We will not publish: Comments written that are poorly spelled or are written in caps or which use strange formatting to get noticed. We screen for comments that seek to spread information that is false or misleading.We will not publish comments that are profane, libelous, racist, or engage in personal attacks.Preference is given to commenters who use real names.Please be advised:Ĭomments are moderated and will not appear on site until they have been reviewed.Ĭomments are not open on some news articles Bell Media reserves the right to choose commenting availability. Bell Media reviews every comment submitted, and reserves the right to approve comments and edit for brevity and clarity.
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